Artificial chromosomes and transchromosomic avians

Abstract

The invention includes avians containing an artificial chromosome in their genome and methods of making the avians.

1 . A method comprising:
 isolating an artificial chromosome containing a centromere;   injecting the artificial chromosome containing a centromere into an avian embryo;   maintaining the embryo under conditions suitable for the embryo to develop and hatch as a chick; and   maintaining the chick under conditions suitable to obtain an avian wherein the artificial chromosome containing a centromere is present in the genome of the avian.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the artificial chromosome contains a nucleotide sequence which can function as a marker. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the artificial chromosome contains heterochromatic DNA which can function as a marker. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the artificial chromosome is isolated by flow cytometry. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the flow cytometry is facilitated by a probe which is associated with the artificial chromosome. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the artificial chromosome is introduced into the avian embryo by injection. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising transferring the embryo to a recipient female avian. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the embryo is an early stage embryo. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the embryo is a stage I embryo. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the avian is a chicken. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the artificial chromosome comprises a heterologous recombination site. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the artificial chromosome comprises more than one heterologous recombination site. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the artificial chromosome comprises a heterologous coding sequence. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the heterologous coding sequence comprises a pharmaceutical protein coding sequence. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the heterologous coding sequence encodes a cytokine. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the heterologous coding sequence encodes a pharmaceutical protein selected from the group consisting of antibody and enzyme. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the artificial chromosome comprises a promoter. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the artificial chromosome comprises a promoter which functions in tubular gland cells. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the artificial chromosome comprises an IRES. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising obtaining an offspring from the avian wherein the offspring contains an artificial chromosome in its genome. 
     
     
         21 . An avian produced according to the method of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         22 . A chicken produced according to the method of  claim 1 .